Tater's Tall Tails

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My Name is Tara and I'm a new book lover from the California bay area. I love a good story that can take me away and bring me into a new world, whether its through words on a page or actors on a screen.

# 1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout Lives in West Virginia.

All the rumors you heard about her state arent true.

Well, mostly. When she's not hard at work writing, she spends her time, reading, working out, watching zombie movies, and pretending to write.

She is the author of the Covenant Series (Spencer Hill Press), the Lux Series (Entangled Teen), Don't Look Back (Disney/Hyperion) and a yet untitled novel (Disney/Hyperion), and new YA paranormal series with Harlequin Teen.

Jennifer also writes New Adult and Adult romance under the pen name J. Lynn. The Gamble Brothers Series (Tempting the Best Man/Tempting the Player) and Wait for You. Under her pen name, she is published with Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!! I am so excited about being on this tour, and on this date and for this book!!! Because I have come up with the most amazing idea for a post ever!!! In honor of Elixir day, I have come up with elixirs for the series!!! Color coordinated, halloween themed amazing drinks to keep you company while you are swooning over Seth & Aiden!!!

Now for my disclaimer:

DO NOT DRINK UNLESS YOU ARE OF THE LEGAL AGE.

PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY.

I know there are some readers under age, and I am not condoning drinking, drinking underage, so please! DO NOT DRINK UNLESS YOU ARE OF THE LEGAL AGE!!! You can replace the alcohol ingredients with non alcoholic beverages and what not.

Chill 4 martini glasses in the freezer or fill with ice water and let sit until frosty, about 5 minutes (pour out water). Add the vermouth, dividing evenly; swirl to coat the glasses, then pour out. Add gin to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously until chilled; divide among chilled glasses. Garnish each with a skewered pickled baby beet, and serve immediately.

Combine vodka, syrup, and juice in a cocktail shaker, stir to combine. Add seltzer, and divide between two glasses filled with licorice ice cubes. Serve immediately.

COOK'S NOTE

This drink is clear when first poured, but starts to darken as the black ice cubes melt. To make serving multiple cocktails easier, multiply and mix the vodka, syrup, and lemon juice in a pitcher. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve up to 3 hours. Pour mixture into glasses over licorice ice cubes, then top with seltzer.

That's it!! I hope that everyone enjoyed this! I will be going to bust out some Pure and that eyeball brew!! I hope you enjoyed this stop!!! Chest out the rest of the blogs on this AMAZING tour!!!

Spencer Hill Press is giving away a $200 gift card to Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Book Depository or any indie bookstore of the winner's choice to not only stock up on amazing books, but to perhaps buy a Nook HD or Kindle Fire. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Inspired by the childhood classic Alice in Wonderland, this harrowing and romantic story features teen zombie slayer Alice Bell who has lost so muchfamily, friends, her home.

After a strange new zombie attack, Alice fears she may be losing her mind as well. A terrible darkness blooms inside her, urging her to do wicked things.

The whispers of the dead assault her ears and mirrors seem to come frighteningly to life. Shes never needed her team of zombie slayers moreincluding her boyfriend, Colethan she does now. But as Cole strangely withdraws and the zombies gain new strength, Ali knows one false step may doom them all.

GENA SHOWALTER is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the Intertwined novels and several other popular YA and adult series. Her stories have been featured on MTV and in Seventeen magazine and have been praised as unputdownable. Growing up, she always had her nose buried in a book. When it came time to buckle down and get a job, she knew writing was it for her. Gena lives in Oklahoma with her family and three slobbery bulldogs. Become a fan on Facebook, follow her on Twitter @GenaShowalter and visit her at genashowalter.com/young-adult/ and at HarlequinTEEN.com.

I am so excited to be apart of this wonderful tour for Through The Zombie Glass!!! I hear there have been some pretty awesome things and I am so excited to bring you the most awesome post of the tour!!!! Let's go out with a bang shall we???

Here is a wonderful treat for all you zombie hunters out there, the lovely Kat and feisty Frosty are here today to be grilled by the Tater. So snuggle uptime to get cozythat means you too *points to Kat & Frosty* dont sit so far apart!

What is the best thing to bring to a zombie fight?Frosty: A friend that runs slower than you. Kidding. Im kidding. An enemy that runs slower than you.Kat: As if youve ever run from a fight. You live for killing zombies with your fists. And your swords. And your guns. And your hacksaw.Frosty: I love that you know me so well.What is the worst thing to bring to a zombie fight?Frosty: Lack of training. Seriously, if you want to become Z-food, just go ahead and take a stroll at night without first learning the basics of self-zombietection. Kat: Zombietection?Frosty: Its a new word. All the cool kids are saying it.Describe yourself in 3 words.Kat: Totally freaking awesome. (What? Its not bragging if its true)Frosty: Crazy for Kat.Tell me a secret of yours.Kat: Shhhhdont tell anyone, butthe kidney disease is worse than Ive copped to.Frosty: I dont know if this is a secret so much as a statement of fact. But here goes -- I will tear the world apart if anything ever happens to Kat. What is something that baffles you?Kat: Zombies. Just die and stay dead already!Frosty: Kat. Youve met the girl, right? Randomness:Red vines or twizlers?Frosty Red vinesKat-- TwizlersSweet or salty?Frosty SaltyKat-- SweetCoke or Pepsi?Frosty CokeKat -- PepsiBurger or steak?Frosty BurgerKatSteakFrosty Youre just saying the opposite of me. Kat Duh.Frosty Next time, youre going first.Day or night?Kat Day. Are you kidding?Frosty Night.Favorite Place?Frosty Wherever Kat is.Kat Frostys embrace.FrostyThat just earned you big time points, Kitty Kat.Kat Oh, yeah? Well, what do I get to do with these points?Frosty You get to redeem them for kisses.Kat Rock on!Cat or Dog?Frosty Kat. Points for me?Kat Dog. And yes. Like, a lot.Snow or rain?

Frosty and Kat Rain.Frosty Theres nothing like kissing your girl in the rain.Kat True. But you need more points for that and were out of questions.

Thanks you to for being such a fun interviewand before I go, can I have one more requestpucker up you too. One last kiss before we go!

GRAND PRIZE GIVEAWAY!

Go and see a scary movie, buy your favorite scary series or movie on DVD and make these days perfect with a pizza and some coffee to calm your nerves!

Look for the White Rabbit Contest: Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays , the white Rabbit will appear on a different blog and stays there for 48hrs. Once you have found the Rabbit, click on it and you will be directed to a Rafflecopter entry form for the Grand Prize Giveaway! To enter, you must answer the daily question found at the Tour Stop!!!

Todays Looking for the White Rabbit question:

Kat and Frosty! What a pair hu? Reading this fabulous interview, what do you love most about this couple?

Friday, September 13, 2013

Descended from an Irish demigod, Brianna has fled to Ireland to escape destruction at the hands of her sworn enemies, the Sons of Killian. Taking refuge at the estate of her former nemesis, Austin Montgomery, Brianna discovers a rift in time that opens to an era before the feud began.

Wrestling with her newfound feelings for the more innocent Austin, Brianna begins to wonder if she can alter the past. But when Brianna and Austin learn that the Sons are raising an army of mythical beasts, the pair will need to use their magical strength in the present to avoid a tragic end.

Talia Vance is a practicing litigation attorney living in Northern California with her real life love interest, two-point-five kids, and a needy Saint Bernard named Huckleberry. Talia has been writing since she could talk, making up stories for every doll, stuffed animal and action figure she could get her hands on. She grew up hoping to write the great American novel, but her life ran more along the lines of tortured romance and fast paced thrillers, so that's what she writes.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

The last thing Mason Starling remembers is the train crossing a bridge. An explosion . . . a blinding light . . . then darkness. Now she is alone, stranded in Asgardthe realm of Norse legendand the only way for her to get home is to find the Spear of Odin, a powerful relic left behind by vanished gods.

The Fennrys Wolf knows all about Asgard. He was once trapped there. And hell do whatever it takes to find the girl whos stolen his heart and bring her backeven if it means a treacherous descent into the Underworld. But time is running out, and Fenn knows something Mason doesnt: If she takes up the Spear, shell set in motion a terrible prophecy. And she wont just return to her world . . . shell destroy it.

In this pulse-pounding sequel to Starling, Lesley Livingston delivers another electrifying blend of nonstop action and undeniable romance that will leave readers breathless.

Lesley Livingston is a writer and actress living in Toronto. She has a master's degree in English from the University of Toronto, where she specialized in Arthurian Literature and Shakespeare. She frequently performs with the Tempest Theatre Group, of which she is a co-founder. She is also the author of WONDROUS STRANGE and DARKLIGHT.

1. King Arthur. In almost any version of the story but, especially, in my all-time favorite re-telling of the legend, a book called FIRELORD. Forget Lancelot! Arthur is the oneflawed, noble, tragic, andin my mind, at leastthe best and handsomest of men! *Sigh*

2. Diarmuid, Prince of Brenin, in THE FIONAVAR TAPESTRY. A rebellious, irreverent charmer who hides his better qualities behind the façade of a dissolute rogue. Brilliant, glittering, brittle, hilarious, a little bit tortured and one hell of a fighter.

3. Aileron, Exiled Prince of Brenin, in THE FIONAVAR TAPESTRY. (And, yes, I know its a little weird to pick two BBFs from the same book but Im doing it anyway!) Aileron is Diarmuids older brother. A brusque, brooding, painfully noble figure who hides his gentler qualities behind the façade of a stone cold loner. Dark, dangerous, serious, a whole lot tortured and one hell of a fighter.

Harry Dresden

4. Harry Dresden, in THE DRESDEN FILES. Whats not to love about Chicagos Private Eye Wizard? Tall, dark, and sarcastic, Harry is both dangerous and perpetually endangered. Harry routinely gets the ever-loving crap kicked out of himand I do love my heroes tenderizedbut he always comes back slinging magic and quipping like a bad ass. Harry always tries to do The Right Thing, even though he almost always ends up suffering for it. And thats super sexy.

5. Prince Hal, in Shakespeares HENRY V. Okay not exactly a book per se, but I had to include him here. Sharp, funny, noble and heroic, he manages to grow from rebellious loose-cannon prince into a savagely intelligent, regal ruler. A true leader of men. And he still manages to be charmingly self-effacing and surprisingly romantic in the presence of a beautiful princess.

So there you go! A king, three princes, and a wizard. Have I set my sights too high?!

BONUS GUEST POST!!!

Top 5 Qualities that make a Hero a Hero

1. SENSE OF HUMOR. This is non-negotiable. I dont care how dark it is. If its not there, neither am I.

2. Mad Skillz. I love a man who knows how to handle himself in a scrap.

4. Romance. And Im not just talking about how our boy deals with personal relationship, but how he looks at the world at large. A romantic world viewand it can sneak into the heart of the most hard-bitten mercenaryis, I think, essential for heroism. Because why even bother being a hero, otherwise?

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Hello everyone! Welcome to my stop on the Authors are Rockstars tour. I am so lucky to have a super new awesome author here!!! AND the Tater has come up with something new I am going to do for future authors I feature here, it's called the Tater Award Board. It pretty much is what it says, an award board filled with all your awesome Tater awards! You earn them for being awesome, loving awesome things and doing things that are aca-awesome! Today I am showing you Danielle Ellison's award board and why she is considered awesome in the eyes of Tater!!!

Danielle's Tater Badges

She eats, drinks and breaths books! Being a bookseller, writer, editor and all around lover of the written word. Badge earned:Book Nerd

Goosebumps, Barbies and Are You Afraid of the Dark (OH MY!) make up her childhood. Automatic badge earned: Epic Childhood

She is a Potterhead and a Tribute. Earning both the Always badge and Three Finger Salute badge.

She is a Pretty Little Liar and, like me, the show annoys her but she can't help but watch! Badge earned: Buckle up BITCHES! -A

She loves Supernatural as much as this Dean's girl does (and even uses it as inspiration). Badge earned: Pig In A Poke

Not only is she an author, but is an EPIC editor as well. Badge earned: Two Hats.

Give her excalibur, Merlin and her own Knight and she is a happy girl. Arthurian badge earned.

She has a BOAT load of awesome books coming out that sound EPIC and amazing. Author Are Rockstars badge!

I hope you all enjoyed learning about the badges that Danielle has earned form Tater! And thanks to the awesome people at Entangled Publishing, you can enter to win an eBook copy of her upcoming novel Salt!!! Totally epic!!!

Check out a bit more about why Salt is going to be awesome (I mean hello! Magic, Snark and KISSING!! That's a Tater badge in the making!)

Tell us about SALT? How did you come up with Pen and Carter's story? How did you come up with the magic and demons?

I was knee-deep (or neck-deep) in a revision of Follow Me Through Darkness so I could query in the new year, and it was late-Fall 2011. (I think it was November, which I only remember because a pivotal point in this story happens during Thanksgiving.) My then-roommate, Josh, convinced me that my life was missing something because I wasnt watching Supernatural. (It was. I just didnt know it at the time.) He was determined that I watch it with him. So I caved, because none of my shows were on anyway and I had time before the season seven came back on to completely catch up by January. And why not?

It was approximately seven episodes before I was completely and totally hooked.

Im one of those obsessive people who cant stop something once I start, and it was only a week or so and I was already in season two. I woke up one morning, because I was meeting my friend Cindy for lunch here, and I was straightening my hair. Nothing too exciting. Then bam I heard this first line. Gran always told me to never leave home without salt in my pocket. I thought it was strange and also very, very charming but I proceeded to tell myself I could not write a shiny new. Could not. I accepted this, got on a bus, and went to lunch.

It was literally only a twenty minute bus ride to lunch but by the time I got to Cindy, Id already written a few hundred words on my phone AND had a whole plot to this story. I remember being so excited as I told her about this idea, and read her these first few paragraphs. She looked at me and told me I had to write that book. I was going to wait until revisions were finished, but that night I ended up writing the whole first chaptereverything I had in my head about this story. And then I put it aside until revisions were finished. When I came back to it in January I already had the whole story. It took some navigating around the world, some trial and error with character motivation, and a re-write after 30k words because some things felt wrongbut I was done, done, completely done in June. SALT was a book.

It was a seriously fun book to write and world to build. I knew from the beginning that the salt was relevant and important to killing demons. Then, I had to figure what those demons were and why the witches needed to kill them. At first it was this simple rule that demons wanted to kill witches to get their powers, but that developed because I had to ask myself why witches would put themselves in harms way when it could kill them. The answer: to save Nons (non-magical humans.) So I weaved in some theology, some of my own magical elements and some mythology and the whole world came to fruition pretty quickly. Its a different take on demons, and I hope everyone likes it.

The demons in Pens world never look alike. They can possess a Nons body or appear in their true form (which is usually gross, multi-colored, scaled, slimyeveryone is different). They have one drive: kill. At first the demons just go after humans, but then they learn that witches are better because they can steal their essence (their magic, which is basically their soul because a witch cant survive without his/her essence.) The demons main goal shifts to killing the witches who protect Nons, figuring that once they get rid of the witches, the world is theirs. Since witches are only born (whereas Demons are born or created) they believe their goal is very achievable. The demons still go after Nons because they are bored, or need more demons, which they can make from Nons. Thats why witches are so willing to protect Nonsand thats exactly where Penelopes story starts.

The funny thing about SALT was that I didnt necessarily have to figure out Penelopes story she told me. Its definitely shifted some from that first draft to the one that people will read, but her story was always the same at the core.

Penelope is a witch, but her powers are faulty because of a demon attack when she was a child and now her powers only work when she can pull them from someone in her family. She wants her powers back, and shes smart and sassy and has figured out a way to do that, but that way involves finding the specific demon who attacked her. The best way to find the demon is to be an Enforcersomeone trained and dedicated to protect Nons (non-magical humans) from demonic forces because they have access to areas that Penelope doesn't, and the resources that she needs to find it. Of course, all of that gets thrown for a loop when she meets Cartera male witch who makes her powers work and causes her to question everything she thought she knew and what shes really after.

Pens story was always the same: a girl who didnt fit into her world and wanted the one thing that she could never have, but pursued it anyway. Despite the odds. Despite the limitations. Despite everyones opinion on what they think she should do, who they think she should be. I think thats a powerful story: find what you want and go after it. I didnt mean for that to be the story when I started it, but I think its a good example of inner-strength and perseverance for teens and for women. Its very much what Penelope is all about, and the core of SALT. (And of course theres magic, and snark, and kissing.)

About Danielle

The Hobbit version:Danielle Ellison is from a small town in West Virginia. She spent her childhood pretending to fly, talking to imaginary friends, and telling stories. She hasnt changed much since then. You can still find her pretending to work, talking to imaginary characters, and writing stories.

When shes not writing, Danielle is probably drinking coffee, fighting her nomadic urges, watching too much TV, or dreaming of the day when she can be British. She is the author of five upcoming novels and you can find her on twitter @DanielleEWrites.

The Longer One:

Danielle Ellison has been reading books for as long as she can remember; especially while learning how to do math in elementary school. But that wasnt her fault: she was in BookIt! which meant she had to read a lot of books to get free pizza. That whole program is probably why she still cant subtract or divide without a calculatorand loves pizza.

From an early age she was taken away by the world of magic, dreaming of powers and witches that lived next door. (She had every Goosebumps book published and loved Are You Afraid of the Dark.) Her love for readingcombined with an obsession of Power Rangers, Disney movies and a being the only girl in a town full of boysforced her tell stories to her Barbies in the backyard. And well, she never stopped telling the stories, even if she begrudgingly stopped playing with Barbies.

Danielle started writing plays in high school, and that taught her the importance of character and voice. She loved plays, almost as much as fanfiction (which she also wrote.) In college she read a fantastic boo that lead her to pursue writing in the hopes that she could produce something like that. She spent the rest of college writing papers, short stories, and a musical.

After college, she moved to Tennessee where she worked at a bookstore. Her manager introduced her to Young Adult fictionand she started devouring books. It was shortly after that she wrote her first (not awesome) YA novel. She hasnt stopped since. Due to her nomadic tendencies, she sold some books in a weird order and how has two debuts. Her digital novel SALT (Entangled DigiTEEN) comes out September 2013 and thenFOLLOW ME THROUGH DARKNESS (Spencer Hill Press), the first of a print trilogy, releases October 2014.

When shes not writing, Danielle is probably wasting time on research. She loves television centered around phenomenal characters, drinking coffee (especially pumpkin!), sitting in the grass when the Fall and Spring weather is awesome, collecting flip-flops, hanging out with friends, reading, and traveling. She also loves knights, so shes probably going to talk about them if you ever meet her.

Danielle is a Senior Editor at Spencer Hill Press and Spencer Hill Contemporary, as well as freelance editor and a bookseller/YA event coordinator at an indie store in VA. She often hangs out on Twitter and Tumblr where she fangirls as much as possible. She is a nomad who grew up in West Virginia, spent five years in various locations in the South, experienced time in NYC, Guatemala, South Africia and London. She used to live in Massachusetts and briefly in Maryland, but now she has settled in Northern Virginia. For now.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

I think I might just die from one more covergasm from Miss Abbi!! This is just WAY too much!!1 Aside from the fact I am BEYOND excited for more Cage & Eva, I am flipping over the moon for Jason's story!!! I totally fell in love with him and now!! EPPP!!!!!

Expected publication: April 29th 2014 by Simon Pulse (first published December 18th 2013)

An unexpected affair leads to mind-blowing harmony in this Sea Breeze novel from New York Times bestselling author Abbi Glines.

Jason is sick of living in his rock star brothers shadow. So when he ships off to Sea Breeze, Alabama, hes looking for a much deserved escape and a chance to blow off some envious steam. Falling for the local bad girl was definitely not the plan. But as the new duo enjoys some naughty fun in the Alabama sun, Jason learns that even though Jax is the musician in the family, hes not the only brother who can rock someones world.

Abbi released the cover over on her page AND even blessed us with a teaser!!! And WOOOOOW!!!!!!! I just...I NEED THIS NOW!!!!!! Read the tease!

I can't even begin to explain how much I love this series! And somehow, it just keeps getting betters!!!